1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for assembling a linear track in a guided motion system. In particular, the invention relates to a track assembly that supports a quick and easy method of assembly of linear tracks to standard extrusions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In manufacturing processes and within manufactured capital goods themselves, precise and repeatable motion is useful and often essential. For example, in manufacturing processes ranging from machining to textiles to electronics, tool heads or other items move back and forth and must do so precisely and repeatedly over enormous numbers of cycles. In another example, specimens and instrumentation move relative to each other within laboratory analytic devices to collect data on the samples and must do so precisely and repeatedly.
Guide wheels attached to support bases and riding on rails is one class of guided motion technology that provides precise and repeatable kinematics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,431 discloses guide wheels and tracks in which guide wheels cooperate with rails such that the guide wheels may move along the rails.
An exemplary track used in guided motion application is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a guided motion apparatus 100 as known in the prior art. FIG. 1 shows a “Vee” edge track 120 and the DualVee® guide wheel 110 both manufactured by Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation. The track 120 is coupled with a support base (aka extrusion) 130.
Known support bases are typically available in a standard size and configuration. For example, the extrusion 130 shown in FIG. 1 is a representation of a standard aluminum extrusion support base manufactured by Parker Hannifin Corporation which is widely used within the guided motion industry.
Also widely used in the guided motion industry are track assemblies for coupling the track with the support base. FIG. 1 illustrates a known track assembly 125 for coupling the “Vee” edge track 120 to a standard extrusion 130. Previous attempts to provide track assemblies to fit standard support bases have been complicated, time consuming, difficult to assemble due to the requirement of fasteners, expensive to assemble, and unreliable due to the use of moving parts, among other shortcomings. However, there are many disadvantages to the current state of the art. For example, known track assemblies require the use of fasteners (not shown) to couple the track assembly 125 and the track 120. Requiring the use of fasteners necessitates more parts, a more expensive manufacturing process, more susceptibility to movement between the parts, resulting in an unsatisfactory guided motion apparatus which requires a finely tuned system.
Due to the deficiencies of the prior art, there is a need to provide a reliable, effective and easy to assemble track assembly for use with linear motion support bases. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a track assembly that effectively couples with a standard support base without the use of fasteners.
It is another object of the invention to provide methods of manufacturing track assemblies that effectively couple with a standard support base without the use of fasteners. Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide methods of assembling guided motion systems using fastener-less assembly techniques.